Anti-Romani sentiment
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Anti-Romani sentiment (also called antigypsyism, anti-Romanyism, antiziganism, ziganophobia, or Romaphobia) consists of hostility, prejudice, discrimination, nativism, racism, and xenophobia which is specifically directed at Romani people.
Romani people are sometimes considered the second most discriminated-against minorities and ethnic groups in Europe. Romani people are stereotyped as cheerful and musical migratory fortune-tellers, beggars and petty thieves who practice theft, black magic, fraud and prostitution. In Europe, Romani people were persecuted, enslaved, hanged and burned for centuries because of their darker appearance and different facial features compared to Native European people. As a result, the Romani people's history of segregation, stigmatization, enslavement, deportation, and extermination has shaped its relationship with non-Romani individuals and communities into a relationship which is frequently marked by mistrust and fear. Romani people avoid non-Roma because they consider them marime. Romani people often hide their ethnicity due to harmful stereotypes such as the belief that they are untrustworthy because they are scammers, pickpockets, vagrants, beggars and thieves.
The term “Gypsy” is considered a slur when it is used by non-Roma because their use of it perpetuates misconceptions and stereotypes in which Romani people are portrayed as nomads who roam around and engage in questionable, criminal or illegal activities, which is exemplified by the term "to gyp". During the COVID-19 pandemic, hate speech against Roma people in Europe increased according to Commissioner for Human Rights. A 2024 United States Department of State report raised concerns about anti-Romani sentiment across Europe. The Romani community in Europe encounters challenges including restricted access to quality education and obstacles in integrating into the labor market, which contribute to increased poverty and social exclusion, as well as inadequate healthcare and substandard living conditions. Romani children are assigned to segregated "special" schools, where restricted curricula hinder their opportunities. Roma children and women are also particularly vulnerable to human trafficking.
The key factors that contribute to the persistence of discrimination against the Roma are the lack of institutional recognition and the public's lack of knowledge about their historical experiences, including centuries of enslavement in the Danubian Principalities, forced assimilation, and genocide during the Holocaust. Historical and contemporary evidence indicate that other societies in Europe have systematically excluded Roma, contributing to the persistence of socioeconomic inequality and other forms of discrimination.